A Fighting Chance
by alyssialui
Summary: Fabian comforts Marlene in a time of need. Pre-Hogwarts.


_A/N: Fabian comforts Marlene in a time of need. It was so hard to write a fic about this pair because there isn't much information about them except they were both Order members who died during the First War, and Fabian and Gideon are related to Molly. Here's my attempt. RxR. FxF._

_Submission for:_

**Hogwarts Fair 2014 Challenge/Competition****: Pairing Tombola - **Fabian Prewett/Marlene McKinnon.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

With the meeting adjourned, the members of the Order of the Phoenix filed out of the room. Many had stunned looks on their faces, others with faces full of dread. Things were getting darker and darker, with no hope on the horizon for the forces of light. You-Know-Who's power was growing stronger and stronger, their numbers increasing with some recruits coming straight from Hogwarts. Young, naive minds being given the ability to kill on sight was not a good thing and would spell disaster for all.

There was destruction everywhere and countless reports of muggle homes being razed to the ground and muggle families dead bodies strewn about or 'missing'. But they weren't truly missing. They were taken as prizes or blasted apart beyond recognition. On those missions where Fabian had to defend the homes, or pick up the pieces in the aftermath, it always left a sick, empty feeling in his stomach which would stay with him for days. This was a time of war and death and they were all stuck in it.

Fabian and his brother had been walking out behind the others when a soft sound was heard on his right. Urging his brother onward, Fabian held back until it was just him and one other occupant in the room.

He approached her cautiously. He had never had a real conversation with her before. Sure they had been on missions together, and maybe saved each other's arses a couple of times, but nothing personal. He was unsure if he should even try but he couldn't stand to see her like that.

She had remained in her chair and gone unnoticed by the other members, and she preferred it that way. She just wanted a few minutes to herself. So she was genuinely surprised when a tall, redhead sat in the chair to her right.

"Hello," she said shakily, trying to remove all traces of despair and sorrow from her voice.

"How are you, Marlene?" he asked softly.

Her eyes darted away from his kind face, those eyes pleading for her to tell him all her worries and fears. But she just couldn't do it. She wasn't ready to face them. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her body away from him, "I'm fine, Fabian."

He chuckled deep in throat and said, "I can tell a liar when I see one. I look at my brother everyday. How are you doing, Marlene?"

Her hands fell into her lap and she stared down at them. The concern in his voice was pulling her into him. She tried to blink the tears out of her eyes, still turned away from him, and said, "I'm not fine, Fabian."

He tentatively reached out to place a kind hand on her forearm and was relieved when she did not pull away. "What's troubling you, my dear?"

"I think my family is in danger," she choked out as the tears finally fell. "My parents are old, my siblings are very young, still in Hogwarts, and I think by being in the Order, I've put our family in the line of fire."

Fabian drew her close to him and she fell onto his chest. Her tears were warm and wet, seeping into his shirt, but he did not mind. She sobbed, "What am I going to do, Fabian? It's too late for us to go into hiding. I can't just pull Mark and Marissa out of Hogwarts now. It's just a matter of time before they're bursting through our doors."

Fabian rubbed small circles into her back, kneading away the stress and sadness in her heart while whispering soothingly into her hair. It was a worry on his own mind as well. Though his family was just his brother and sister, their parents dying a few years before, it killed him inside just imagining their bodies lying in a pool of blood. But he had to be strong and keep fighting. He had to defend himself and his family from the evil of You-Know-Who. He would not allow them to terrorize more innocents.

Her tears had subsided a bit as she spent herself in her tirade and was overcome by his warmth. He spoke softly, "It is a scary time, Marlene. But we must keep hope and faith that we will succeed, that we will be able to keep those Death Eaters at bay for we know we need to in order to keep our families safe. All families are seen in You-Know-Who's eyes but you being in the Order gives your family a fighting chance. It's better for them that you are here with us all working to put an end to this whole mess. And we need all the help we can get, Marlene."

"Do you really believe that, Fabian?" she asked. She pushed off his chest and looked him straight in his eyes. "Do you really think we stand a chance against him?"

"As long as we are still standing, there's always a chance," he said confidently.

She gave a sad smile and then a peck on the cheek. She moved away from his embrace and he found himself missing her weight on his chest. She rose from the chair and said, "Thank you for being there, Fabian."


End file.
